DM Shepard
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dmshepard.bsky.social
DM Shepard
@dmshepard.bsky.social
110 followers 110 following 43 posts
Alaskan Electrical Engineer | MS Warrior | Indie Escape Contributor | President of Fortymile STEAM Non-profit | Author of the Dark Land series
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dmshepard.bsky.social
DM Shepard @dmshepard.bsky.social · Apr 5
#1stLinePit #A #M

Golden Girls X White Lotus X Jawbreaker:

The cruise reception was a plastic surgeon’s wet dream. There had been enough filler and Botox used on the faces in this room to iron the wrinkles out of an elephant’s backside.
Bridge over river with multiple arches and old fashioned globe lights. Top left: woman holding glass of wine to lips, Top right: bridge with multiple arches over river and old-fashioned globe lights on top, Center: shadowy person walking down railroads tracks Bottom right: man and woman kissing, Bottom Left Chateau surrounded by Vineyards
dmshepard.bsky.social
Nothing Gold Can Stay....

A gorgeous fall day north of the Brooks Range.

#Alaska #arcticcircle #workcommute #womeninstem
September 7, 2025 at 12:24 AM
dmshepard.bsky.social
Top of the World Highway. Where the pavement begins-or ends-depending on your perspective.

#ALASKA #alaskaadventure #topoftheworldhighway #heralaskalife
September 2, 2025 at 8:16 PM
Reposted by DM Shepard
oatesam.bsky.social
The Fork in the Road:
"I've lost Bette’s scent.
I close my eyes to focus and adapt. My nose itches as it flattens, tan fur growing over the skin and scratching my browbone. It’s dark and the street’s quiet; no one will see the change. "
#1stLinePit #WIP #A #F #UF #writingcommunity
Moodboard for The Fork in the Road novel in progress, featuring the Appalachian mountains with birds flying over them on one side, and an open book, cozy blanked, and cup of hot cocoa with a spoon in it on the other. In the middle are graphics of a black feather and white magnolia flowers. The title appears on the left side, followed by the pitch: "Someone's kidnapping supernatural beings. Diane Brooks, human and owner of 'The Fork in the Road,' a magical coffee shop and bar, may be the only one who can save them. Trope Map for The Fork in the Road, a novel in progress. Three images are stacked left to right - a coffee shop counter, a woman with a dark background in red light, and a burning forest. The title "Tropes" sits over the middle image, followed by a list of bullet point tropes: Multi-POV, Women's Rights & Women's Wrongs, Supernatural Kitchen Sink, Mostly queer cast, Mythology in present day, Sentient bar & coffee shop, Enemies to ??? A first page snippet from "The Fork in the Road," a novel in progress. Feathers are lined on the left side of the image, leading to a blue feather at the bottom. A blue text box sits in the middle, featuring text from the first page: I've lost Bette’s scent. I close my eyes to focus and adapt. My nose itches as it flattens, tan fur growing over the skin and scratching my browbone. It’s dark and the street’s quiet; no one will see the change. The smell of the city sharpens. Damp earth, muddy grass, and crowded bodies linger in the air. But I still can’t smell her. I twitch my nose and restore it to human form. The storm that flooded the Appalachian foothills, causing mud slides and chasing me to her mother’s house didn’t cover Bette’s scent. That only happened recently. Her kidnappers are sidhe, the type to steal a child for their own amusement. The rowan berries smashed on the lawn and the tang of lake reeds proved that. They led her through rivers and on trains to disguise their route, but Bette left clues, marking trees, posts, or whatever else she could find with a spot of blood. She must have bitten at a nail or the corner of her mouth to manage it. That made it easier to follow their trail, despite being weeks behind. Until I reached Chicago.
April 5, 2025 at 2:00 PM
dmshepard.bsky.social
#1stLinePit #RS #A

A traitor cost me her life. Anyone who betrays me will suffer for what happened to her.
April 5, 2025 at 8:33 PM
dmshepard.bsky.social
#1stLinePit #A #PR #H #Vampires

Carmilla X Mexican Gothic X Nosferatu

He could survive one more night in this damned frozen hell if he just kept the door closed.
April 5, 2025 at 6:26 PM
Reposted by DM Shepard
indesii.bsky.social
Dolphins have more in common with humans than most of us realize. Their social structure is complex; they travel in tight-knit groups—called pods—but they form other relationships outside of them.

#1stLinePit #WIP #A #R #CON

👇 Blurb, small Josie & Will profile, continued opening.
At the center of the image is a blurb that reads: As a marine biologist specializing in sea turtle conservation, Josie Lark has spent her entire life chasing the next coastline, the next job, determined to put as much distance as possible between this version of herself and the grief of her childhood. But when a call from her pregnant little sister drags her home to the sleepy island town of Pelican Cove, Josie returns with a set itinerary: pack up their late mother’s house, put together her restoration proposal for the Gulf Conservation Center, greet her baby niece, and board a flight to her dream job in Australia eight weeks later. Will Mercer is not part of that plan. Will is the boy she once loved. He’s her childhood best friend, her first kiss and her first heartbreak, and the one person Josie never quite stopped regretting. While she ran off to college, Will stayed, tied to his family marina and a life Josie didn’t want for herself. With Pelican Cove’s fragile ecosystem and coastal economy in crisis, Josie’s project at the Conservation Center puts her directly in Will’s orbit. The electric chemistry is still there, but so are the ghosts of who they used to be—and the reality that Josie is leaving. Again. As summer stretches into fall, between long days on the water and a storm that changes everything, Josie begins to question where she truly belongs—and what it would mean to stay. The background is a pale blue to darker blue gradient from left to right. The bottom of the image reads “@indesii”. Dolphins have more in common with humans than most of us realize. Their social structure is complex; they travel in tight-knit groups—called pods—but they form other relationships outside of them. A ‘fission-fusion’ society—the same society we see form between chimpanzees, elephants, and humans. It boils down to this: think about your own life. You wake up and spend time with your husband and drop your children at school in the morning, and then you go to work. On your break you eat lunch with friends you haven’t seen in months. In the evening, you go to your in-law’s house for dinner. You stop on the drive home to get takeout tacos because your mother-in-law’s cooking is dreadful, and wave to the familiar faces behind the counter. Your elderly neighbor is rocking on a creaky porch chair as the sun fades and you call out in greeting. This cycle repeats. You're moving in and out of pods throughout the day, but you still have the long-term relationships in your pod that can last a lifetime. Your parents, your sisters, your brothers, your partner, your best friend. Lucy has always been part of my pod, a constant through every change—just like the dolphins on the mural in the Pelican Cove ferry terminal. They are smaller than I remember. We traced their bumpy mosaic bodies with our fingertips as children, creating stories about where the dolphins came from, where they were going, and the exciting adventures they must have together. It wasn’t until we were teenagers that we learned they were just like us. Lucy resented this discovery. I only have a moment to drink her in before she ambles toward me in a blur of sun-streaked hair and a too-big Pelican Cove Fishing Co. sweatshirt. A cartoon image of a white young woman with long and wavy brown hair looking off to her left, wearing white-beige shorts, a peach tank top, a white sports cap, and a small white bag over her shoulders. Multiple arrows lead to various passages of text. These read: JOSIE LARK, 31 YEARS OLD, BISEXUAL, WOULD BURY A BODY FOR HER SISTER, LOVES: LUCY, SEA TURTLES, DOLPHINS, AND TACOS, and HATES: PEOPLE THAT LITTER, WILL MERCER, PEOPLE THAT BLOCK AISLES TO CHAT, WILL MERCER. The background is a yellow to pink gradient from left to right, with a line art border of teal-y blue and green seashells, starfish and conches. The bottom of the image reads “@indesii”. A cartoon image of a tanned young man looking straight ahead, with his hands in his trouser pockets. His hair is black and tousled. He wears a light brown oversized jumper and dark brown trousers with black shoes. To his right are multiple arrows with various passages of text. These read: WILL MERCER, 30 YEARS OLD, LOVES: MADDIE, FISHING, TATTOOS, AND LOCAL IPAS, and HATES: THURSDAYS, JOSIE LARK, PEOPLE WHO REFUSE TO ACCEPT HELP WHEN THEY NEED IT, JOSIE LARK. The background is a yellow to orange gradient from left to right, with a line art border of teal-y blue and green of seashells, starfish, and conches. The bottom of the image reads “@indesii”.
April 5, 2025 at 4:47 PM
dmshepard.bsky.social
#1stLinePit #A #M

Golden Girls X White Lotus X Jawbreaker:

The cruise reception was a plastic surgeon’s wet dream. There had been enough filler and Botox used on the faces in this room to iron the wrinkles out of an elephant’s backside.
Bridge over river with multiple arches and old fashioned globe lights. Top left: woman holding glass of wine to lips, Top right: bridge with multiple arches over river and old-fashioned globe lights on top, Center: shadowy person walking down railroads tracks Bottom right: man and woman kissing, Bottom Left Chateau surrounded by Vineyards
April 5, 2025 at 5:33 PM
dmshepard.bsky.social
This song describes my Boomer mean girls when they rocked out in their heyday...and committed a deadly crime.

Golden Girls x Jawbreaker

#UnhingedPit #innocencelost

youtu.be/6s2zm_crkVc?...
Nick Gilder - Hot Child In The City • TopPop
YouTube video by TopPop
youtu.be
March 28, 2025 at 5:10 PM
Reposted by DM Shepard
delandjessica.bsky.social
Emotion-sucking vampire cereal, the breakfast of abducted ballerinas!

Flavors include:

✅ Kidnapping!
✅ Escape Efforts!
✅ Magic Container!
✅ Lackeys!
✅ High school!
✅ Spying!
✅ Panic attacks!
✅ Slow Burn!

Reader tested, agent approved!

#unhingedpit #Q #YA #F #M #R #FR
Fake Cereal Advertisement with an open cereal box in the center reading "Emotion-sucking vampire cereal" with angry eyes at the top. Arranged around the cereal box with arrows pointing toward it are illustrations of a girl getting kidnapped, a silhouette of a couple looking at each other, three henchmen silhouettes, a girl having a panic attack, a girl in a detective costume with a magnifying glass to her eye, a Tupperware, a stick figure escaping through a door, and a high school. Words are arranged around the cereal box reading "Reader Tested!" "Agent Approved!" "Breakfast of Abducted Ballerinas!" "Fresh Flavors!" "Querying Now!"
March 28, 2025 at 1:23 PM
Reposted by DM Shepard
delandjessica.bsky.social
WAKE, starring:

FMC: "Never Not Gonna Dance Again" by Pink

Love Interest: "Dancing with Your Shadows" by Phillip Phillips

Foil: "Smooth Criminal" by Michael Jackson

Mentor: "Demons" by Imagine Dragons

Antagonist: "Raining Blood" by Slayer

#unhingedpit #Q #YA #F #M #R #FR
Image with a Southern house in the background. On the left are Hagrid from Harry Potter, Loki from the Marvel movies, and Donald Duck with a speech bubble reading, "You have to live here with us because our boss shoved some of his magic in you and we can't get it out." On the right is Sophie from Howl's Moving Castle in a ballet tutu with a speech bubble reading, "I hate you." In the upper right corner is a split headshot of Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde with an arrow pointing to it labeled "Boss." In the center is an award badge reading, "Killer Nashville Claymore Finalist."
March 28, 2025 at 4:03 PM
dmshepard.bsky.social
Just Like That x Jawbreaker
The 70s were wild for Rebecca's dead mother and her squad of mean girls:

💋Lesbian affairs
💊Drugs
♀️Feminism
☠️Murder

One of these women is harboring a deadly secret, to which Rebecca holds the key in her mother's diary. #UnhingedPit #M #A
March 28, 2025 at 5:01 PM
Reposted by DM Shepard
davidallenvoyles.bsky.social
ATTN #HORROR LOVERS: Want a free, monthly treat that has links to fun, spooky stuff? No charge, no spam. Just fun stuff for folks who like #Halloween spookiness year round. Check out the archives for past issues here: #DarkCycles davidallenvoyles.com/darkcycles_a...
February 4, 2025 at 2:23 PM
dmshepard.bsky.social
Always exciting as an #indieauthor to spot my book (The Devil's Valley) on the shelf at a store. If you're passing through Ted Steven's International Airport in Anchorage and want a great book, stop by Mosquito Books and support #localbusiness #alaskanauthors
February 1, 2025 at 10:15 AM
Reposted by DM Shepard
dawnberkoski.bsky.social
Times up. The choice is either death or permanent confinement. But a chance meeting offers a ray of hope, a path to the freedom Alex and Jason crave. It will pit them against corporate vampires, but the alternative is set in stone.

Blue bloods X Yakuza
#PR #A #2025Pit
Photo of a dead end path located in a dungeon. One side of the dark tunnel leads to prison bars. The other side leads to darkness. But in the middle, a ray of light shines from an unseen doorway, illuminating the stone floor and showing a possible way out. Photography by Dawn Berkoski. I Am Chosen, Paranormal Romance by Dawn Berkoski
January 27, 2025 at 1:34 PM
Reposted by DM Shepard
elizabethlquant.bsky.social
“Three more corpses and it wasn’t even noon.”

First line from FUCK THIS MURDER
- a humorous, foul mouthed mystery

*If Murder She Wrote and Clue were neuro-spicy and totally GAY*

#2025Pit #A #M #autism #Disabilty #LGBTQIA+ #ownvoices #alligators
a cartoon alligator is swimming in the water with its mouth wide open .
Alt: The alligator from Peter Pan is eagerly slapping the water with his mouth wide open.
media.tenor.com
January 27, 2025 at 1:26 PM
Reposted by DM Shepard
brodiesmith.bsky.social
SONG OF THE LIONESS X BRIDGERTON X REIGN

Achieving Mastery of magic at seventeen isn't easy. Why won't Kyan's family celebrate her accomplishment? How can she prove herself? When an assassin strikes at the king, and a conspiracy unfolds, she'll get her chance.

#Q #YA #F #2025pit
A grid of 9 images in a collage. 1: starry black hands 2: two women in regal fantasy clothes facing away from the viewer 3: a darkly lit apothecary and magic workshop 4: a blue and white cityscape 5: a figure inside a blue fire bubble 6: hands placing a crown on a silhouetted woman's head 7: a woman in black gothic clothes reading a book in a library 8: a snowy village with lights under the house eaves 9: stylised symbology of the sun and moon
January 27, 2025 at 1:28 PM
Reposted by DM Shepard
elizabethlquant.bsky.social
A closed room country house murder you say?

May I introduce you to FUCK THIS MURDER

🐊🐊🐊

- a humorous, foul mouthed mystery, complete w/ sabotaged pre-wedding jaunts (bad food, poison oak, BEES), rekindled romance, a murder forest, & much more!

#2025Pit #A #M #autism #Disabilty #LGBTQIA+ #OWN
a large white house with a gazebo in the background
Alt: a large white house with a gazebo in the background, and people are running around frantically
media.tenor.com
January 27, 2025 at 3:28 PM
Reposted by DM Shepard
blovewrites.bsky.social
17 is hard, but when you're set to take over presidency from your father, survive a ☠️ attempt, are betrayed by the two you love & learn your role is to maintain peace by keeping 200yo lies & manipulating the public or start the biggest war in centuries, 17 is REALLY hard.

#2025Pit #Q #YA #SF #LGBTQ
January 27, 2025 at 1:43 PM
Reposted by DM Shepard
rakiyawrites.bsky.social
WE WERE GODS

Pleasure and pain are abundant where gods make homes. This rings true for the city of Cardell. A hub for entertainment and cutthroat politics, losing is inevitable in this holy city; but when nothing—not even godhood—is forever, there is everything to gain.
#2025Pit #A #F
January 27, 2025 at 3:20 PM
Reposted by DM Shepard
linala.bsky.social
NINTH HOUSExGilmore Girls
A 21st-century witch promises to help a dead 17th-century predecessor. When she learns a coven masked as a company is using her ex to hunt the ghost for a killer internship, she must delve into her haunted past to save the man she loves & her kindred spirit. #2025pit #F #A
A collage of spooky, witchy images with white text reading WITCHES LIKE SILVER STARS over a stained glass raven.
January 27, 2025 at 1:32 PM
Reposted by DM Shepard
writerlythings.bsky.social
WHEN PHOENIX AND DRAGON AWOKE

Four strangers with dangerous powers forbidden under penalty of death must master their abilities and confront personal demons while evading capture by law enforcement and a corrupt empress.

🔥Tortured heroes
🪵Found family
🌊East Asia
⚙️Betrayals+secrets
#2025pit #A #F
A fantasy map
January 27, 2025 at 3:02 PM
Reposted by DM Shepard
crissthecreative.bsky.social
When Larkin discovers she’s pregnant after a very out-of-character one-night stand with a man who turns out to be the Greek god Apollo, she must face monsters, vengeful gods, & most terrifyingly, her feelings for Apollo to protect herself & her unborn child.

#2025pit #A #R #RM #F #LGBTQIA #ace
January 27, 2025 at 1:09 PM
Reposted by DM Shepard
angie3tomatoes.bsky.social
Divine Rivals x Games Gods Play

After a lightning bolt transforms him from a toxic teenager into a reincarnated god, Nathan Palmer must battle a vengeful goddess, confront his own destructive past, and prove that true heroism means unlearning everything he thought made him a man

#2025pit #ya #spec
January 27, 2025 at 2:51 PM
Reposted by DM Shepard
rammwriter.bsky.social
My #agentguide for Out of Time.

Slow Horses ➕️ The Ipcress File ✖️ Life on Mars

#litagents #editors
January 27, 2025 at 2:43 AM
dmshepard.bsky.social
Golden Girls x Jaw Breaker

Rebecca is on a wine cruise in France as a substitute for her deceased mother.

When bodies pile up, and blood flows like wine, she realizes her mother's Boomer mean girl squad has a secret past they'll kill to keep buried.
#2025Pit #A #M #U #R
January 27, 2025 at 3:08 PM